The Lost Descendants of Thomas Jefferson
Scientists have new proof that the President had children with his enslaved chambermaid Sally Hemings—and that their bloodline endures across the country.
The descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings have long been a subject of controversy and debate. Prior to the discovery of an 1873 interview with Madison Hemings, a Black carpenter who claimed to be Jefferson's son, the idea that the founding father sexually exploited a teenage girl while holding her and their children in bondage was largely dismissed as slander.
However, in 1998, a DNA study by Eugene Foster revealed a link between a descendant of Sally Hemings and Jefferson's descendants, leading to a re-evaluation of the issue.
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed's book, "The Hemingses of Monticello," further solidified the case for a relationship between Jefferson and Hemings, arguing that it was the only plausible interpretation given the historical context. Despite this, doubts remained, with some arguing that Jefferson's brother might have been the father, a theory known as the "doctrine of 'any Jefferson but Thomas.'"
Recent research has faced criticism even before its release, with a Hemings descendant pulling out of the study due to a "gut" feeling that Jefferson couldn't be her ancestor. However, the Smithsonian remains confident in the findings, which are being peer-reviewed and vetted by leading genomic scientists. The study aims to bypass uncertainties of previous DNA studies by analyzing Jefferson's genome and calculating Hemings descendants' "identity by descent" (I.B.D.) from him, without relying on potentially misleading genetic markers.
The project has been fraught with difficulties, including the misidentification of a deathbed hair sample as Jefferson's. However, Monticello provided additional DNA samples, and the team was able to exhume Jefferson and determine which descendants had more I.B.D. with him. This process ultimately confirmed that Williams, a previously untested descendant, shared over five percent of her DNA with Thomas Jefferson, more than any from his legitimate family.
The discovery of Jefferson's entire genome and advancements in DNA extraction methods have opened up new possibilities for identifying the other children of Sally Hemings, who left the family and passed for white. Kurin hopes to post the Jefferson genome online and make it accessible, potentially leading to further insights into the Hemings family's history.
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